First Nation opts for air cooling tech for Woodfibre LNG

Woodfibre LNG processing facility will be using the air cooling technology to chill the liquefied natural gas following a vote by the Squamish Nation Chiefs and Council.

The cooling technology choice was one of 13 conditions in Squamish Nation’s environmental assessment agreement and environmental certificate for the proposed Woodfibre LNG project, granted in October last year.

Woodfibre LNG said in its statement that prior to making the decision, the Squamish Nation conducted an independent review of the cooling technology, seawater cooling, preferred by Woodfibre LNG, as well as two alternative options, air cooling and air cooling with freshwater spray.

Air cooling was found to have the least environmental effects, from a Squamish Nation perspective, of the three cooling technologies under review, although, the review did show that air cooling technology could reduce LNG production by 2 percent.

Other conditions of the Squamish Nation Agreement stipulate that no LNG carrier traveling to the Woodfibre site will bunker in Squamish Nation territory and that no expansion of Woodfibre LNG operations will be carried out without Squamish Nation consent.

Under the agreement, the Squamish Nation and Woodfibre LNG will co-manage environmental management plans.

Woodfibre LNG is proposing to build a 2.1 mtpa plant in Squamish, British Columbia. The plant will also include a 250,000-cbm storage tank and export infrastructure with three to four ships expected to load at the facility each month.

Canada’s Woodfibre LNG is a subsidiary of Pacific Oil & Gas Limited, which is part of the Singapore-based RGE group of companies.